Chapter 228 Golden Core Transformation

Ouyang Rong frowned.

He glanced at the horizontal skirt knife between him and Xie Lingjiang.

Still no answer.

Ouyang Rong composed himself and said to Xie Lingjiang, whose face was serious:

"Let me tell you... the worse news first."

Xie Lingjiang Ningmei:

"Senior Brother, we've all been deceived by Liu Ziwen and the Liu family!"

"The Ancient Yue Sword Shop is just a front. The Liu family found an old swordsmith from the Daoist artisan lineage and secretly collaborated with the Wei family of the current dynasty to forge the Ding Sword for many years!"

"Over the years, the unusual floods that have occurred in the lower reaches of Butterfly Creek have mostly been related to the cauldron swords in the furnace of the Ancient Yue Sword Shop, which absorb water vapor and disrupt the water veins."

Xie Lingjiang said indignantly:

"The Jade Cup Fairy also revealed that the Liu family used the first-hand information they obtained from the old swordsmith about the influence of the cauldron sword on the water veins to wait for the flood to pass and then make a fortune from the disaster."

"The Di Gong Gate, which collapses every four years with a strange pattern, was the work of Liu Ziwen and the Liu family. The Burning Heaven Shark Oil was also arranged by the Liu family under the direction of the Jade Cup Fairy."

"Senior Brother, the flood that occurred when you were recuperating in bed at Donglin Temple in April was exactly what happened."

Her face was anxious, and she spoke faster and faster, spilling out the secrets of the Liu family that she had obtained from the Jade Cup Fairy.

Ouyang Rong's expression gradually turned solemn, and he suddenly asked:

"The Jade Cup Fairy has been unconscious for so long, and Liu Ziwen is already dead. Could the cauldron sword have stopped working...?"

Ouyang Rong suddenly stopped speaking.

Seeing this, Xie Lingjiang pursed her lips and tacitly said for him, "That's right, it's very likely that Liu Zian is still secretly forging swords."

She turned her head and saw her eldest brother with a furrowed brow. He was pacing in circles, seemingly talking to himself, and a murmured sound came from him:

"All these years, the Liu family has been secretly forging cauldrons and swords? Are they colluding with the Wei family? Do they have the support of forces in Luoyang? Then... that makes sense. Liu Ziwen, Liu Ziwen, no wonder you have such audacity."

"For the sake of the Liu family, you're capable of anything and can endure anything, even the suspected murder by your own brother, you didn't reveal a single word..."

"So, now Liu Zian is taking over the sword-making business. That's right, that should be it. Liu Zian is the current head of the family. Back then, I joined forces with others to dismantle the Liu family. No wonder he was willing to sacrifice most of his important family assets and lose face in order to protect the Guyue Sword Shop. Later, he even tried so hard to please me and the county government."

"Liu Zian, Liu Zian, what a fine display of forbearance and humility! You are not like the wolf-like Liu Ziwen; you are more like a venomous snake, lurking and ready to bite..."

"So who do you want to take a bite out of now? Hmm, it should be me. You and the Liu family have been waiting for the Dingjian to be born?"

Xie Lingjiang noticed the complex expression on her senior brother's face, a mixture of furrowed brows and sudden realization.

She lowered her head slightly, a look of shame on her face.

"Senior Brother, the guess you made to me a long time ago was correct. It's all because Junior Sister is dull and slow. You don't understand Qi cultivation, so you can only ask me for advice."

"But at the time I firmly denied it, thinking that the Dingjian sword was too far-fetched and absurd, how could a small Liu family in Longcheng possibly swallow an elephant... As a result, I misled you, senior brother, and missed the truth."

Ouyang Rong shook his head:

"This is not entirely your fault. If the Liu family hadn't been involved, no one would have imagined that the Liu family could forge the legendary Dingjian."

"Besides, last time, I was worried and searched the sword shop, but I still came back empty-handed. Liu Ziwen and Liu Zian hid this new Ding sword too well."

He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then, realizing something, turned and asked:

"Was the strange torrential rains and rising water levels at the end of the plum rain season a while ago also caused by this unfinished cauldron sword?"

Xie Lingjiang nodded without much hesitation:

"Very likely! The last time Yunmeng experienced flooding was too close to now."

"Senior Brother, after the Jade Cup Fairy woke up, she also revealed a very important piece of information."

"After she woke up, she asked me about the date and revealed that Liu Jiayu and the Wei family had agreed to retrieve the sword on the fifteenth of this month."

"The Jade Cup Fairy also analyzed that the cauldron and sword would be forged no later than tomorrow, within twelve hours..."

Ouyang Rong paced back and forth twice before turning to interrupt Xie Lingjiang:

"No wonder the floodwaters are so unpredictable... What are we waiting for? Let's get down the mountain quickly, stop dawdling!" He frowned deeply. "The sword isn't even finished yet, and it's already like this. What will happen once the sword is finished? Won't the waters flood Jinshan Temple? Can the Broken Wing Canal withstand such mythical power...?"

When it came to the flood, he swept away his hesitation, grabbed the skirt knife handed to him by his junior sister, and tied it around his waist.

Touching the familiar skirt-shaped sword, Ouyang Rong subconsciously stroked the jade hilt and took a deep breath.

For some reason, when he reached out and took the heavy burden "handed over" by his junior sister again, he suddenly felt a sense of relief and invigoration.

It's like sitting in a drowsy morning reading class during your school days, when suddenly the crisp sound of the bell ringing to signal the end of get out of class comes from outside, instantly dispelling your drowsiness.

Perhaps... he has found another reason to stay temporarily, even though he is reluctant to part?

Seeing this, Xie Lingjiang hesitated, then said, "Senior Brother..."

"Junior Sister, what are you standing there for? Let's go, let's stop the Liu family from forging the sword... Oh, right."

Ouyang Rong, sword drawn, was about to charge when he paused, his expression suddenly changing as he said:

"You still haven't told me what the bad news is?"

Xie Lingjiang whispered:

"The Jade Cup Fairy I interrogated yesterday has been looking for you for over ten hours..."

Ouyang Rong: ? ? ?

A morning breeze blew by, further emphasizing the stillness of the atmosphere.

Inside the Donglin Temple on Dagu Mountain, a hundred miles from Longcheng County, Ouyang Rong looked up at the sky.

Blue sky, white clouds, and bright sunshine.

Xie Lingjiang was about to speak when she suddenly caught something in her peripheral vision, turned around abruptly, and leaped onto the eaves of the Buddhist temple.

With her right toes lightly touching the eaves, she gazed at the sky above the small, lonely mountain on the western bank of Butterfly Creek, halfway up the mountain, where a sword furnace seemed to be located.

The Confucian scholar looked around and observed the atmosphere.

Xie Lingjiang's eyes widened: "Oh no, this sword energy... Senior Brother, it seems we're too late."

What are you looking at?

Below, Ouyang Rong tried to jump, looking in the direction Xie Lingjiang was looking.

The sky over the west bank of Butterfly Creek was ordinary, with blue skies and white clouds.

Xie Lingjiang suddenly lowered her head and asked, "Senior Brother mentioned earlier that there was a leak of vital energy. Has it been repaired?"

As she spoke, she silently reached into the lapels of her round, full breasts and took out an antique jade box.

It opens silently.

Two slender fingers gently pinched it up.

Ouyang Rong, standing below, was speechless. "What kind of time is this? Junior Sister is still joking... Ugh!"

A red shadow flashed before his eyes, and Ouyang Rong's words were interrupted, as if his mouth had been gagged.

"Mmm..." He bent over, his Adam's apple bobbing, and covered his mouth with both hands, making some sounds of swallowing with difficulty coming through his fingers.

Xie Lingjiang handed over the water bag, which Ouyang Rong grasped like a lifeline. He drank it down, swallowing a round object whole. He then covered his mouth and coughed, his mouth filled with a bitter, fishy taste.

"Cough cough cough, you...you put something in my mouth, what a weird taste, ptooey ptooey ptooey."

Ouyang Rong stared blankly, speechless, and tried to vomit by digging with his fingers.

The pills have already entered the stomach.

He paused slowly, looking down at himself.

I don't know why.

Something seemed to have changed.

But Ouyang Rong did not know what it was.

His face gradually flushed red, and he couldn't help but reach out and pull open his tightly closed collar to let in some fresh air.

"Why does it feel hotter and hotter?"

Ouyang Rong found himself feeling warm all over.

This is not a physical warmth, but a trembling warmth that penetrates deep into the bones and even the soul.

His body was like a house with its doors and windows open, warm in winter and cool in summer, but now, with a "clang," the doors and windows are tightly shut.

The space is enclosed, and the temperature gradually rises.

Xie Lingjiang took out a light purple handkerchief and silently wiped her senior brother's mouth, who was no longer "leaking his vital energy".

Ouyang Rong frowned and lowered his head, not even realizing that his junior sister had wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

He even temporarily ignored the source of the pickled radish smell that lingered in his mouth after it had been wiped with a pale purple handkerchief.

Only when Xie Lingjiang put away her handkerchief and took Ouyang Rong's large hand in her delicate hand did he turn his head, frowning as if he wanted to shrink back.

"The eldest brother came to visit himself."

Xie Lingjiang interrupted Ouyang Rong, who was about to speak but hesitated, grabbed his hand, and together they jumped onto the roof to look into the distance.

The junior sister's palms were slightly cold and damp.

The coldness was probably because Ouyang Rong's palms were too warm at the moment, making her hands appear cold to him.

As for the wetness on their palms, it didn't seem to be his...

Why am I sweating so much? Am I prone to water retention?

Just as Ouyang Rong's thoughts were wandering, he suddenly felt a warm current flowing from his junior sister's hand.

The warm current flowed into Ouyang Rong's body through the Shaoyang Meridian of Hand.

It travels upwards without dispersing, eventually converging at the temporal region, near the temple.

Ouyang Rong felt a throbbing sensation in his temples, as if he were being beaten on a battlefield.

"This is……"

"Senior Brother, don't speak. Focus your attention and look into the distance..."

Xie Lingjiang's pretty face tightened, and she said in a serious tone, as if such mundane things as sweaty palms were irrelevant to her.

Ouyang Rong turned his head and looked down at the sky above Xiaogushan on the west bank of Butterfly Creek, a hundred miles away.

His face was blank.

He saw a whole new world.

Or rather, it is the true nature of this world, which was previously obscured by gauze.

Ouyang Rong suddenly realized that he had something extra.

"Is this what they call 'qi observation'... But what exactly is the Liu family up to? Is this an unusual phenomenon? Is the Dingjian about to be born?"

...

The old swordsmith surprisingly didn't stay up all night last night.

Go to bed early.

Although I went to bed early last night, I was only half-asleep and couldn't sleep soundly.

However, the elderly are generally less alert, so it did not affect their energy the next day.

Regardless, after staying up late for most of my life, I finally got a normal sleep schedule on the last day.

The old swordsmith nodded and rewarded himself with an extra jar of wine.

As dawn broke, the old swordsmith opened his eyes, still dressed in hemp clothing, and descended the mountain. He walked with practiced ease to the familiar breakfast stall, sat down in a corner, and waited for his breakfast.

Besides waking up early, the old swordsmith was also a bit more talkative today.

It's extremely rare.

"After you delivered the things for me, did that little girl never come to the sword shop again?"

The old swordsmith calmly asked Sister Cheng, who brought him the noodle soup.

Sister Cheng, who was about to turn and leave, turned her head curiously, looked at the strange old man who had spoken up, and wiped her hands on her apron:

"She hasn't come back. It seems that Miss Aqing is now living in a wealthy family on Luming Street. The courtyard there has high walls and looks very impressive. I think she doesn't need to work here anymore. Her brother is capable enough to support the family."

After a pause, Sister Cheng brought over a new wine jar and placed it on the old swordsmith's table. Before turning back to the kitchen, she recalled:

"Ah Qing also asked me to pass on a message, saying that she received the things you sent back and would keep them safe. She also told you to be careful, sir, that there might be bad people around here, and if you are in danger, you can contact her and she will ask a benefactor for help."

The old swordsmith nodded, sat behind the table, and drank yellow wine alone.

Sister Cheng returned to the kitchen to get busy.

The sun was shining brightly overhead, and the weather was nice, but for some reason, the manager of the sword shop informed the swordsmiths that they were on holiday today and did not need to work, but they should wait in their respective forge rooms during the day.

So there weren't many people coming early in the morning, and the breakfast stalls were quite quiet. Sister Cheng finished her work quickly and came out.

Most of the customers at the open-air stalls had left, including the eccentric old man in hemp clothing, who also left with his new wine jars for the day.

Sister Cheng quickly cleared the table and tidied up the dishes. When she walked to the table in the corner where the old man in hemp clothing was eating, she was very slow.

He let out a soft "Eh."

The woman looked around; the table was empty.

The grumpy old man didn't leave behind the empty wine jar or the new money for tomorrow's yellow wine.

Should I not get him any wine tomorrow?

...

The old swordsmith slowly walked into the room.

He carried a wine jar in one hand and dragged a small wooden stool over with the other.

He sat down in front of a sword-making furnace that had been dormant for many years.

He rested his hands on his knees, took a sip of wine, murmured a few words, and turned to silently look at the sword-forging furnace in front of him:

“Junior brother, I asked you for your head and sword, and you cut off your own head without saying a word and handed it to me along with the sword blank.”

"I've dreamt about this scene many times over the years... You trust me that much?"

"Actually, I only wanted to forge a simple cauldron sword. I've been thinking about it since I first started blacksmithing when I was young. It's a pity I was born in the wrong dynasty."

"But now it seems that the Great Zhou Dynasty is not bad. It has a peaceful and prosperous era, and it is not lacking in ambitious people. Isn't the Dingjian about to be forged?"

“Master and junior brothers, you don’t want to forge swords for ambitious people, but you’ve forgotten one thing: aren’t swordsmiths ambitious people too?”

"If you have no ambition, what's the point of forging a sword? Isn't the greatest ambition to let myths be born from the mortal world?"

"What a beautiful Butterfly Creek, what a group of Wu and Yue men, who lost countless good heads to forge a sword."

He looked down at the murky liquid sloshing around in the wine jar:

"Heh, you ask what I like to watch? After my junior brother gave me his head, I did indeed find a show I could watch endlessly..."

"That little girl with the tattooed face, ah, I seem to have a connection with you. What's wrong with giving you a better future?"

"No one could have imagined that a master swordsmith would be inspired to forge a sword by an ordinary female embroiderer."

"However, perhaps that's why you, little girl, have accidentally become such a hot-tempered person."

"It's because of our daily contact that I was influenced by her aura. When I was forging the sword, I was also subtly influenced. It's as if the man and the sword grew together in the same way, so naturally I am a person with strong aura? It's mysterious and profound."

"However, that new magistrate is a bit strange. He's clearly not the one, so why would Dingjian be greedy for his qi? Could it be that he's one of the other Dingjians with strong qi? It doesn't seem like it... Or is it because of the paper flowers?"

The old swordsmith shook his head and smacked his lips:

"It's a pity that he has a leaky body. He has abundant energy, but it also leaks energy. This naturally attracts Qi cultivators to 'watch,' making it difficult for him to retain opportunities and ultimately benefit others..."

He pulled a metal cube wrapped in gray cloth from his pocket, tossed it onto the table, and sighed.

"Back then, at the Lotus Pagoda of Donglin Temple, the three families pointed to the tripod and swore an oath... A promise is as weighty as nine tripods, and those who break the oath will perish... This blood oath is truly effective."

"Those Lotus Sect cultivators at Donglin Temple have tried their best, but they still failed to reach the Lotus Tower Alliance and were cursed with a broken promise, their Dao lineage severed."

"My sect is also nearing its end. The Mei family has long been wiped out, and I am the last one left."

"It's just a pity about this Deer-Lu Sword Forging Technique. Since the first forging of the second cauldron sword, it has forged nearly half of them..."

"However, there is one more technique. The first sword-making technique used by Qin Shi Huang to create the first cauldron sword for the Yue maiden and the assassins from the six states, I wonder if it has been lost to the world?"

After murmuring for a moment, the nameless old swordsmith looked south towards the Yunmeng Marsh upstream and nodded across the distance:

"Queen, regarding the sect covenant of yesteryear, I, like the bald monks of Donglin Temple in the past, have done my best to return the cauldron and sword. Let the lineage be destroyed; I have a clear conscience."

Standing before the sword-forging furnace, the old man turned around:

"This sword has been delayed for far too long. It has been passed down through three generations: my master, my master's master, and so on."

"Fine, I know you're tired of listening to this in the stove, so I won't nag you anymore."

"I checked the almanac last night, and it said today is an auspicious day."

After saying that, in the empty room, the old swordsmith smiled, took a sip of wine, and suddenly reached out.

"Go out and let all the Qi cultivators in the world see you."

With a clanging sound.

The furnace for forging swords was opened.

It's empty.

The door opened by itself even though there was no wind.

Outside the door.

The sun shines brightly over the surrounding area.

But in the eyes of certain types of people...

It possesses azure sword energy, soaring towards the Big Dipper!

(End of this chapter)